UP man arrested for duping Covid-hit people in need of oxygen, medicines

The accused had floated his phone numbers on social media sites on pretext of providing these resources amid their shortage due to increased demand, officials said.

The Noida Police on Monday arrested a Ghaziabad resident accused of duping people by taking exorbitant amounts of money in advance from them for providing oxygen cylinders or concentrators and crucial medicines needed for Covid-19 patients.

After the money was transferred to his account, Singh would go inaccessible by either changing phone numbers or blocking them, leaving the people hit by the pandemic in the lurch, the official added. (FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY)

The accused had floated his phone numbers on social media sites on pretext of providing these resources amid their shortage due to increased demand, officials said.

"When approached by needy people, accused Vishal alias Nishant Singh would ask them to make an advance payment online for oxygen cylinders or concentrators or the medicines, as per the requirement. He would charge them anything between ₹20,000 to ₹1,00,000 but not deliver the product," a police spokesperson said.

After the money was transferred to his account, Singh would go inaccessible by either changing phone numbers or blocking them, leaving the people hit by the pandemic in the lurch, the official added.

The Noida Police said they had got several complaints regarding the matter and an FIR was lodged at the Sector 20 police station after which the accused was tracked down and arrested from his residence in Ghaziabad's Vaishali on Monday.

The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) besides provisions of the National Disaster Management Act, the police added.